Dirty Business follows a massive ten year investigation into how water companies have been dumping sewage into the rivers of Oxfordshire. The story kicks off when two neighbours, played by David Thewlis and Jason Watkins, notice that the fish in their local river are all dying. One is a former police detective and the other is a professor, so they have the right skills to start digging into what is actually going on.
They eventually get some inside help from a whistleblower at a sewage plant, played by Asim Chaudhry, who risks everything to give them the proof they need. While the men fight the corporate giants, the show looks at the human cost through a family grieving their eight year old daughter who died from E-coli poisoning.
Joseph Bullman wrote and directed this three part series for Channel 4, drawing heavily from the real life work of the campaign group Windrush Against Sewage Pollution. The cast features Posy Sterling, Charlotte Ritchie, and Alex Jennings bringing this heavy, true to life drama to the screen.
Production Details
Channel 4 / 1 Season / 3x60 Minute Episodes / 2026 - Present
Writer(s): Joseph Bullman
Main Cast
David Thewlis as
Jason Watkins as
Posy Sterling as
Tom McKay as
Alex Jennings as
Asim Chaudhry as